Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 311 Surely nothing bad will happen every Halloween?
“My dear Hermione, Professor McGonagall kept you behind before the opening ceremony and gave you a prop that allows you to attend classes in three classrooms at the same time.”

Clearly, in her opinion, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Potter were not suited to use this tool.

At this point, Sherlock chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"However, I don't think it's a good idea. In any case, once time is involved, it becomes very troublesome."

Seeing that Hermione seemed about to explain, Sherlock stopped her, then clasped his hands together, rested his chin on them, and leaned slightly back.
"In fact, this matter cannot be kept secret at all if you inquire even a little."

But Professor McGonagall makes you swear not to tell anyone—to which I can only say, she's incredibly naive.

Seeing Sherlock shaking his head repeatedly, Hermione's expression was complex, a mixture of guilt for having concealed the matter and a touch of helplessness:
"I'm sorry, Sherlock, I didn't mean to hide it from you."

But Professor McGonagall made me swear not to tell anyone about it.

Sherlock laughed: "It's alright, I deduced it myself, so you didn't break your oath."

Hearing Sherlock say that, Hermione, emboldened by the alcohol, decided to speak her mind directly.

"This is the time converter."

Hermione fumbled inside the collar of her robe and quickly pulled out a long, thin gold chain.

Instead of removing the chain, she moved closer to Sherlock and showed him the glittering little hourglass attached to the chain.

Professor McGonagall wrote many letters to the Ministry of Magic before she finally got one for me.

Because she had to prove to them that I was a model student and would never use it for anything other than my studies.

Just like you said, that's how I get to all my classes—by turning this hourglass upside down, I can relive a period of time.

Sherlock reached out and touched the time-twister that still retained Hermione's body temperature, and laughed again.

"It's pretty much what I was thinking, but you shouldn't have shown it to me."

“But I’ll go crazy if this keeps up, dear Sherlock,” Hermione said, looking at Sherlock. “You probably don’t know, but you…”

"what?"

"No, it's nothing."

Hermione blushed and stuffed the Time-Turner back into her collar, then abruptly picked up her glass and downed the rest of the Butterbeer in one gulp.

"Anyway, thank you for listening to me. Would you like another drink?"

"of course."

Sherlock tapped his glass with his finger, and Hermione then realized that Sherlock had already finished his beer.

"I'll go get two more drinks!"

Hermione's heart raced, and her face flushed.

She was so close, so very close, to finally saying what was on her mind:
"To me, you are the hero who will come to save me whenever I cry out!"

But after thinking about it again, it wouldn't be a big deal if I said those words out loud, right?
Returning with a mix of trepidation and excitement, Hermione was surprised to see two familiar faces.

Harry and Cho Chang.

"You're really here!"

When Harry saw Hermione, he said excitedly, "Ron said you guys might be drinking here, but I didn't believe him."

Hermione, your face is so red! How much did you drink?!

Cho Chang was taken aback when he saw Hermione's rosy cheeks.

"Not much, this is only the fourth cup."

Hermione raised the glass in her hand, tilted her head and looked at Cho Chang, "Your face is red too."

"It was blown by the wind."

Cho Chang took off the scarf around her neck, the same one Harry wore, and breathed on her palms twice.

When she gave Harry his birthday present, she also knitted one for herself by hand.

“I ran into Qiu on the way... well, actually we had already made plans to come here for a drink before school started.”

Noticing Sherlock's ambiguous smile, Harry still told the truth.

Ron said Sherlock and you might be here too, so he didn't come over.

He said we should leave right away and not wait for him.

At Hermione's strong recommendation, Harry and Cho Chang each ordered a steaming hot butterbeer.

Compared to the brandy Sherlock always carried, butterbeer wasn't as spicy, which Harry quickly grew to like.

The four of them then had a very pleasant conversation.

“We went to the Devis-Bans store, but the owner there said there was nothing wrong with the endoscope.”

As Harry spoke, he took out the miniature viewing mirror that Ron had given him. At that moment, it was quiet and still, looking serene and peaceful.

“But the boss can’t guarantee it will work,” Harry sighed. “Judging from his tone, it sounds like it’s a tourist attraction used to scam out-of-towners.”

"It's all Ron's good intentions after all," Qiu Zhang said with a smile. "A gift of a goose feather from afar is a small gift but carries great meaning. To have a few friends like this is something many people envy."

In Hermione's opinion, Cho Chang was far superior to Ron.

She is beautiful, kind, intelligent, and humble; she has almost no flaws.

If I had to say something, I'd say I'm a little bit weak.
Because from the conversation, I learned that she still felt guilty towards her former friend Marietta for the theft of her eyeshadow two years ago.

"Qiu, you are so kind!"

Hermione couldn't help but stand up for her, saying, "That kind of person doesn't deserve to be your friend at all."

“But Marietta is also pitiful. Her parents have been away from her for many years... It’s understandable that she ended up like that.”

"poor person must have something mean."

Sherlock retorted without hesitation, "Harry's parents were also away from home for many years, so why didn't he become like that?"

Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Harry, Hermione, and Cho Chang all looked at Sherlock with shocked expressions.

Dude, when you criticize others, do you have to attack your own allies so harshly?

Especially Qiu Zhang, who reached out and covered her mouth in surprise.

Her first contact with Harry began when Sherlock helped her solve the case of her stolen eyeshadow.

While thanking Sherlock with Penelope, she also met Harry Potter, Sherlock's friend.

Later, when Sherlock and Harry stopped Voldemort from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone at the end of the term, she learned during a visit to Harry that they shared common interests, and thus gradually became acquainted. Cho Chang was immersed in excellent traditional Chinese culture from a young age, and even she herself didn't realize one thing.

When facing Harry, a hint of affection was always hidden in her subconscious.

Although Harry is the savior of the wizarding world, he is also a pitiful boy who lost both his parents at a young age.

Through deeper conversations with Harry, she came to understand his thoughts: he would rather give up his glamorous identity and only wish for his parents to be alive and well.

In other words, Harry's experiences awakened her maternal instincts.

In their usual conversations, she tried her best to avoid the topic so as not to rub salt into Harry's wounds.

But it seems that Harry's best friend Sherlock doesn't care about this at all.

In contrast, Harry, after his initial surprise, quickly came to agree with Sherlock's view.

So... is escaping reality really a good thing?

This made Qiu Zhang begin to reflect.

In any case, the four of them had a very pleasant conversation.

By the time they left Hogsmeade and returned, it was already dark.

The cold wind made all the young wizards who came to Hogsmeade's cheeks rosy, but even so, it couldn't hide their joy.

Next up is a fantastic Halloween party.

Just like the previous two years, the auditorium had already been decorated.

Pumpkins adorned with hundreds of nodding candles, a multitude of live bats flitting about, and numerous orange banners with burning flames instantly ignited the festive atmosphere.

The food was delicious, and Ron, needless to say, always boasted about it during these kinds of holidays.

Even Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione got an extra of each.

At the faculty seating area, Professor Lu Ping and Professor Flitwick were having a very lively conversation.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout raised their glasses to each other.

Dumbledore was whispering something to Professor Snape.

"Sherlock, I always feel like Snape is watching Professor Lupin."

Harry couldn't help but say to Sherlock.

Hermione overheard their conversation and glanced at them twice, frowning.

“I think… he’s probably jealous of Professor Lupin. We all know he’s always wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, especially since Professor Lupin is so popular right now.”

"Harry, Hermione, you've discovered the blind spot."

Sherlock withdrew his gaze. "Professor Snape has indeed been paying attention to Professor Lupin, but dear Hermione, I don't think it's jealousy, or rather, more than just jealousy."

"what is that?"

"It's concern."

"Are you crazy?"

Ron, who had been showing off his pumpkin pie, looked up from his plate in surprise. "Snape cares about Lupin?"

“My dear Ron, although it may sound absurd, it is indeed the case based on my observations.”

"Uh……"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in bewilderment.

Compared to Ron, both of them were willing to believe Sherlock unconditionally.

Even if it's a bit absurd, as Sherlock says.

"But why?"

Hermione glanced at the faculty seating area, trying to discern a hint of concern in Snape's expression, but to no avail.

“Yeah, even if you made me think about it for three days and three nights, I still wouldn’t understand why Snape would care about Professor Lupin.” Harry was also puzzled.

"At Hogwarts, everyone has a secret."

Sherlock said quietly, "More than one professor has said this to me, so as long as it doesn't affect us, I have no intention of exploring these issues."

Hearing Sherlock say that, the three friends fell silent.

The Halloween party concluded with a performance by the ghosts of Hogwarts.

They burst out of the walls and glided in various formations.

The Gryffindor ghosts are a constant presence, and Nick, who nearly lost his head, even reenacted his decapitation experience, making the show a great success.

Harry and Hermione were especially happy.

Because at the same time last year, they experienced a very unpleasant ghost anniversary.

"I understand! It's because the ghosts were all in the basement last year that they didn't come to perform."

"Ron, please don't talk about this anymore. It brings back unpleasant memories."

"That's all in the past! We went to Hogsmeade today and had such a fun banquet, shouldn't we be even happier, buddy?"

"That's true... but what happened last year was still unpleasant, as was the year before. I just hope nothing like this happens this year."

On Halloween 1991, Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, unleashed a giant monster.

As a result, Hermione was caught in the women's restroom, but fortunately Sherlock rescued her in time.

On Halloween 1992, Lockhart, who was controlled by Voldemort from fifty years prior, opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the Basilisk, which petrified Mrs. Lorris.

As a result, Harry, Hermione, and Neville happened to leave halfway through the Ghost Day celebration and were mistaken for prisoners.

Halloween, 1993...

"Old Ha, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Harry's worried expression, Ron couldn't help but laugh:

"That's just a coincidence! It can't be that something bad happens every Halloween, can it?"
If that's the case, then let me not find... mmm..."

Before he could finish speaking, Harry covered his mouth.

The latter looked at him with a terrified expression: "Please, stop talking!"

(End of this chapter)